Keenan Johnson’s Post

Things I wish I knew as a 22 year-old engineer: 1. Software engineering is mainly about people, not code. Technical expertise will only take you so far. 2. There's a time to hack together a house of cards and a time to build a masterpiece. Learn the difference. 3. Prioritize simplicity, not cleverness. Most code is read many more times than it's written. 4. Sales, marketing, and other departments do equally important work to engineers. Respect them. 5. The most important engineering ideas are timeless. Don't obsessively learn the latest tech. 6. Engineers who can write and make complicated ideas simple have outsized influence. The IDE isn't the only place to do valuable work. 7. Code only matters if it solves a real problem for a real person.

BLOG POST How does the lifecycle of a software product differ from that of a physical product, and what unique challenges does this present for software engineers? The journey of software and physical products is like comparing apples and oranges - they're just different. Physical products start with making prototypes from materials, while software is born from writing code on computers. Software engineers face a big challenge: making sure their programs work on different devices, which can be really tricky. As products grow, physical ones are made more and more, while software is instantly available online and needs strong systems to handle lots of people using it. When things get old, physical products might get little updates, but software gets changed a lot with new features and fixes for problems. This means software engineers need to keep things running smoothly while adding new stuff. Eventually, both kinds of products become old news. Physical ones might get swapped out for newer models, and software might stop being used because of changes in technology or security worries. Engineers need to help people switch to new things and keep them safe. So, while both types of products have their own journeys, software engineers always have to be ready for change in the fast-moving world of technology.the lifecycles of software and physical products require distinct strategies, with software engineering demanding constant adaptation to the dynamic digital landscape. # Blog post , # software engineers.

News letter - #4 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴n 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁? System design is a crucial aspect of software engineering as it provides a comprehensive understanding of the end-to-end system or application. By having a clear understanding of the system, you can add value to the business or organization and troubleshoot issues with less dependency from other team members. Additionally, being knowledgeable about the system indicates your eagerness to learn and work, making you a valuable asset to any organization. As a software engineer, it's important to prioritize system design to enhance your skills and contribute to the success of your team. Note: Are you looking to grow as a software engineer or architect in your organization? Look no further! Subscribe and follow along for great write-ups, videos, and nuggets that will help you achieve your goals. and advance your career. #systemdesign #softwareengineering #teamwork #interviewtips

Can’t stress how much having a personal wiki has helped me. 📚 Here are some steps that I followed to build mine: 1️⃣ Start small and simple. You don’t need a complicated system when starting out. Start putting info in and you can improve it as you go. 🚧 2️⃣ As a Software Engineer, you can note down some of your most used snippets / commands. 💻 3️⃣ I also note down certain instructions such as setting up a new EC2 instance or setting up a codebase. Bonus point, you can share this with your colleagues to look cool and be of great help!😎 I usually use Notion or Obsidian depending on the situation. If you have any helpful tips, drop them in the comments below. ——————————————————— If you’re a tech enthusiast, follow for more buzz! 🤓 ——————————————————— #Notion #Obsidian #NoteTaking #PersonalWiki

Why keeping a "work diary" is helpful for software engineers: Writing things down expands your memory. It's effective since there's a lot we need to remember. 4 example use cases: 1. Performance Reviews - Do you remember what you landed 6 months ago? Relying on your memory for reviews is error-prone and full of recency bias. If you write down what you do as you go, you can make sure you don't miss anything. 2. Wiki of Useful Info - Software engineering requires you to have many commands at your fingertips (e.g. source control, build scripts, tests). Writing the important ones down will help you move faster since they are easy to look up. 3. Ongoing Investigations - Some bugs may take you more than a day to figure out. Keeping track of the investigation so far will help you decide what next steps to take. 4. Reflection - When you write everything out, it gives you something to look back on and improve. If you don't reflect on your work, then you won't learn as fast. More reasons to take writing seriously as a software engineer. I don't have any detailed system for this. I find freeform notes work best for me, what system do you use?

Software engineering is a job that requires high trust. A single bad hire has the potential to tank an entire company. So keep this in mind, Next time you interview with a company, remember that you are looking to build trust by establishing a baseline of competence and technical decision making ability.

Not only is this excellent insight, it's like a cheat sheet for a developer interview. If you're looking for work and they ask you about your attitude towards development, mention these things. If they turn you down because they disagree, you probably don't want to work there.

Technical expertise is crucial. However, I believe that the "about people" aspect is intrinsically linked to item 7.

If you've worked closely with me in the past, you know I maintain a strict "personal wiki" note system, this is for the exact reasons Ryan Peterman highlighted: information can easily get lost, and our memory isn't always reliable. In both personal and professional environments, I’m a big fan of the Zettelkasten System: it focuses on atomic notes that can be linked, effectively bringing you closer to any information relevant to the topic you're researching. I highly recommend the Obsidian desktop application or the Foam VSCode extension for highly efficient note-taking. https://obsidian.md/ https://lnkd.in/dYCQZmn7 #obsidian #zettelkasten #organization #markdown #productivity

Asking dumb questions is easier than it seems to be. Software Engineering is a vast field. Over time, you’ll observe that everyone is dumb enough in one domain/technology or the other. Asking such questions clear up your fundamentals. Without fundamentals of ‘why’ are you solving a problem, you would end up in a messy situation. So, how to ask such questions without sounding dumb? Examples: - “I am not an expert in this, do you mind clarifying the basic concept a bit?” - “Interesting. I am hearing about this first time. This never crossed paths in my career. What is it that you are solving?” - “This is new to me. You seems to be an expert. I’d benefit from your explanation” This sets up you up for success without you sounding complete dumb. It shows you have expertise in something else but not this. ——— ♻️Follow along Gourav Khanijoe if you liked this. And use 🔔 to get regular notifications.